The Future of Quality Assurance: Jeff Sharp

January 31st, 2014

With CES in the books and clients looking forward to what’s on the horizon with 2014 and beyond, I decided to sit down and interview some of Accella’s leading minds to se what they see coming up in 2014 and beyond.

Sam: Thanks for sitting down with me today, Jeff. To start off, what do you think will be the big mobile trends in 2014?

Jeff: Something I’ve seen quite a bit of is mobile integration with some of the bigger pieces of technology you see around the house – automobiles, appliances, things like that. We’ve reached this point where people are pretty much used to using tablets and mobile phones to interact with their desktop computers and televisions, so now we’re seeing even deeper integration between mobile devices and the home.

S: How do you think that will change mobile app development?

J: I think the big change will be a greater amount of interaction between developers and the folks who build and design homes – contractors, appliance installers, and HVAC engineers. Eventually, technicians are going to need familiarity with mobile devices and the software that runs the machines they’re working on.

S: As someone who works in QA and testing, how do you think your work will change over the next year?

J: Not too much will change in terms of the day-to-day, but there’s always new frameworks and app types that you have to learn how to test. Before last year, no one would have really thought about the parameters or guidelines for testing an app where the user’s content disappears…but now we have SnapChat. So, part of QA will always involve remembering that apps are always evolving, and so our approach to testing should change accordingly.

S: What advice would you give to current and prospective clients?

J: At the beginning of the project, ask yourself – “what problem am I trying to solve with this app or website?”. That way, you’ll have a better idea of how to communicate your concerns and goals when it comes time to test the product.

Our look ahead to 2014 and beyond will continue next week with discussions with:

Sam Allen

Samuel is something of a marketing Swiss Army knife. He enjoys helping clients build their web presence and visual identity through design, SEO, and good ol' fashioned content. A photographer by trade, he's had work published in the New York Times and the New Jersey Star-Ledger.